They should never have met. They shouldn’t even exist. But when they come together, the entire world will change.

The last surviving member of her clan, Mirai Kuriyama is cursed with the terrifying ability to control and manipulate blood, a power so heretical that she is shunned even by those with the ability to understand her “gift”. Akihito Kanbara is only half human, but while the monstrous other half of his lineage seems to have doomed him to a life alone, it has also given him near invulnerability in the form of rapid healing. Alone, their futures seem bleak, but when a chance encounter brings them together, it becomes clear that they share more than just an unexpected bond. Together they share a destiny and a mission that only the two of them together may be strong enough to survive.

Commentary:

Beyond the Boundary is one of the more interesting supernatural show to come out this year. It has humor, drama and a solid romance on top of a rather compelling plot line. The most compelling aspect to the series is the love story that develops. It is slow and could go either way thought the series but as the viewer you are always wanting them to move closer. It leaves the mystery fresh enough to keep you watching.

The animation was super slick and unexpected. At first I was very worried that it was going to fall into the trap with the pinks and blues that No Game No Life did, but it leveled off and managed to have a wonderful blending of style and color to help accentuate the story line exceptionally well.

Overall Grade: A-

I found Beyond the Boundary to be a wonderful mix of supernatural and heart warming friendship and romance. The one area that I thought was lacking was character development. Understanding who and what all of these characters are is important to the series and to the most part we are given enough information to make the series understandable. I think that if there was more information about the main characters and even a few of the others that show up from time to time it would have made a big difference in who the series tied together.

As series go Beyond the Boundary reminds me of several series blended together and the mish-mash works as a hole. If you are looking for a shorter series that has plenty of action and a wonderfully heart warming ending then you should check this series out.

Similar Series or Titles to Check Out: Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions!

Synopsis:

Yuta Togashi thought he had problems dealing with one delusional girlfriend in the person of Rikka Takanashi, but now things are about to go totally insane as his former “one true soul mate” from when he was a chuni himself returns with a vengeance! How bad could Satone Shichimiya’s re-entry into Yuta’s chuni-verse likely to be? Let’s just say that she’s so epically off the deep end of the chuni-scale that she prefers to use the name Sophia Ring SP Saturn VII and that she’ll joyfully tear Yuta’s real world to pieces in order to get him back in her imaginary one!

Some girls just want to have fun and some want to break down the walls between their boyfriends and themselves. But when a girl’s idea of fun is breaking down the wall between their presumed boyfriend and reality, retreating into a fantasy world might just be Yuta’s best option. Especially since Satone knows where ALL the skeletons from his past are buried. Toss Rikka’s equally delusional friend Sanae into the mix and girl-crazy begins to take on a whole new meaning!

Commentary:

I really liked the first season and I was quite happy when Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions: Heart Throb was released but now I wish I would not have been so excited because I believe I had too high expectations for this season. The storyline was not as deep nor complex as Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions but it was still cute and funny. I really wish they would have progressed the romance between Yuta and Rikka in Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions: Heart Throb as I was looking forward to it after watching the first season. But instead, Yuta and Rikka are awkward and shy around each other even though they have been “dating” for six months. This is a slice-of-life series that is mainly episodic but some episodes to flow into the next one.

There was also a new character introduced, Satone Shichimiya. She is a childhood friend of Yuta and she takes chunibyo to a whole new level. She adds a large amount of drama between Yuta and Rikka that really was not necessary. Plus, she is kinda in love with Rikka and that makes Rikka jealous. But I think that would make anyone jealous. I really wish they would have given Nibutani some more attention but instead she was relegated to the background during the important scenes as a sort of cheerleader who pushes Yuta and Rikka forward because they are too childish to take that step themselves.

The animation was pretty and vivid. The colors jumped off the screen and the characters and backgrounds were well drawn. The music was catchy and enjoyable. I found myself humming along after a few episodes. The voice actors did a good job bringing the characters to life and made the series enjoyable.

Extras:

Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions: Heart ThrobThe Complete Collection includes clean opening and closing animations and Sentai Filmworks trailers as special features. This series was released with both English and Japanese with English subtitles as language options. Both are well done and enjoyable.

Overall Grade: B-

While Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions: Heart Throb has some issues, it was still interesting to watch and it had some cute moments. I recommend this series if you have seen the first season and want to see what happens next.

On the internet, they’re legends: the tag-team duo known as BLANK, famed for their incredible game-playing skills. In the real world, however, the lives of 18 year old Sora and his 11 year old stepsister Shiro have been spiraling out of control. Now existing as shut-ins, they rarely leave their house and are unable to be separated without suffering panic attacks. Games, for them, are the safest retreat from reality. Until they win a chess match against a mysterious opponent known as Tet and find themselves pulled into a game bigger than any they could have ever imagined.

Now, in a world where the outcome of games determines the fates of both civilizations and species, they must defend Humanity in the ultimate challenge, vying against a host of otherworldly competitors for the right to rule them all! But if they fail, it means slavery or destruction for all mankind. No pressure, of course! Can two misfits who can barely handle their own lives somehow rise to the occasion and save the human race?

Commentary:

Oh no not another stuck in the game anime! Yep, that’s right it’s a mother story where the main characters get stuck in a game world. Can you say .hack, Sword Art Online and Log Horizon just to name a few already showing the way? I was already regretting watching No Game No Life before I hit play and the first episode left me feeling like I was right. I started off so self assured and pretentious that I really didn’t want to keep going. Well, to say the least I managed to stomach a few more episodes and found that my disillusionment was all mistaken. The series managed to do something I would have never expected, it ended up being good.

No Game No Life takes the stuck in the game concept and adds onto the smart player roll developed in Log Horizon and thorns it on its ear with Sora and Shiro. They seem to understand the game better than anyone else and things unfold in unexpected ways. This plot device helps save the show and take it to a level that both entertains and gives rise to questions about the series itself. I’m not trying to say that they intentionally write in gaps of understanding, but because of the way the series progresses it becomes clear that there were simple basics overlooked to make it all work.

Overall Grade: B-

No Game No Life is an interesting series that takes the genre to another level. It is just too bad that there are so many aspects of the series that slow it down or just derail it from time to time. The fact that the concepts are so strong should have lent it to not having to rely on fan service or moe, but these elements tend to stay rather close to the core of the series. There is also the artistic palate that disrupts the flow and visual aesthetics of the series. I found the overwhelming amount of blue and pink to be oppressive and distracting. In the first few episodes I found myself wanting to walk away because of the visual and conceptual aspects of the series. I have to say that the writing saved it from a rather gruesome death.

There is plenty to dislike about this little series, but in the end I found a fondness for it that I can only call baffling at best. For all you gamers out there who need some sex-appeal in your life then you just might find this series worth the time to watch 12 episodes. For all you fan service / moe fans you should be sold by the cover and I doubt if you will be disappointed. So, check it out and if you are not sure about the series you should wait until the 4 or 5th episode before you turn if off. I have a feeling that you will end up sticking around to find out how it ends. I know I am still wondering that myself.

Kai and Aki dream of building a giant fighting robot based on a super-popular anime, but that’s going to be impossible if they don’t get more members into their school’s Robot Research Club. They’ll take anyone they can talk – or force – into joining them, including an eccentric robotics champion with a secret identity and a l33t video-game designer who’s spent one too many late nights online. Finally, their goal looks like it’s within reach.

But when a sentient AI program tells Kai about mysterious documents hidden on the internet, things start to get strange for everyone. As the club members track down the secret messages, they realize that the information might be far bigger – and more dangerous – than they expected.

Commentary:

Following the Techie anime of the last few years like Chaos;Head and Steins;Gate, Robotics;Notes brings things back to earth and give us a bit more plausible story line (at least so far). With that said there is still plant of little signals that tell me there are things yet unrevealed that will add several layers to the series and make it more like the multi layered Steins;Gate. I’m not saying that those layers are a bad thing and intact I really enjoy it when a series makes me think and then surprises me later. That level of writing is hard to find and also hard to pull of.

So, far the series seems to be somewhat straight forward with a darker mystery sitting there just below the surface. I am very much looking forward to how this plays out and truly expect it to give me reasons to cheer it on. The thing about Robotics;Notes so far is that it is drawing us in with some rather likable characters and a challenge to have a high school club actually build a full size mecha robot that doesn’t defy physics and at the same time makes us imagine a world in our own future where these things can be done.

Overall Grade: A-

With Robotics;Notes following the indirect path or rather a simplistic story line to set us up for something much deeper I find myself hooked. The animation production is at times a bit simple, but that too is a trick that gives us an illusion of a basic teenage high school story and a false sense of security. The voice acting is fitting in just perfectly and gives a another sense of reality that is both reassuring and somewhat unbalanced with the light comedic presence. Of course the story follows a group of high school seniors and their drive to make their mark so the voice acting must come across with the same naivety of those very 17 and 18 year olds, and so far I see them hitting the mark.

Robotics;Notes part 1 doesn’t hit you with a dazzling display of action or in your face mystery. What it does is give you some very likable high schoolers who have their own motivations or lack there of and places them in a very believable world that just might get turned upside down as we go along. I am looking forward to seeing how the series concludes and honestly expect some strong twist along the way. As a Techie Sci Fi companion to the likes of Chaos;Head and Steins;Gate I honestly expect the second half of Robotics;Notes to blow my socks off, so bring it on I am ready.

Animeggroll : St Louis Anime Store

November 2017

Animeggroll has moved to Taubman Prestige Outlet, located at 17057 (space 152) North Outer 40 Road, Chesterfield, Mo 63005. Please note, our hours are listed below and that we are closed on Mondays.

We are a St. Louis anime store established in October 2010.

Regular Hours:
Monday Closed
Tue-Th 11-8
Fri 11-9
Sat 11-8
Sun 11-6

We carry a variety of Japanese Pop Culture Items. From anime (DVD, Blu-Ray, VHS, Laser Disc, new and used), then about 5,000 manga, add in Gundam models, wall scrolls, figures, Bento boxes and bento box supplies, plush, key chains, necklaces, buttons, pins, T-shirts, bags, Japanese erasers and more. For photos, look under the about us selection.

We carry new and used for a greater variety. We buy and trade. We are unable to take all items. Please call first to make sure we have someone to evaluate your items.